Bushido
by ANBUShizuka
Summary: Growing up, all she had ever known was the way of the samurai. Bits and pieces of ninjutsu passed through but any ideas were quickly put to rest. Until that woman came to town. Then, Shizune couldn't get it out of her head. She needed to really stop helping random blondes with their ninjutsu demonstrations. TsuShizu, story preview


A/N: This is an old manuscript I found in my archives. If anyone likes it, hit me up with a review and I might rewrite it. For now, it's cuddle-time with my girlfriend :)

Autumn had begun to take hold of the tiny village; while it wasn't chilly by any means, the temperature was slightly cooler than that of summer. The town was reasonably sized but not along the main road, so it was only frequented by shinobi who were on their way to or from missions. Which was just fine by the raven-haired girl who strolled along to the village green. She finally stopped under a large maple and sat down. The girl often watched whenever a team of shinobi- or even a single shinobi- would give a small lesson to the town children. It intrigued her; her mother was the daughter of a famous samurai, thus imposing a very strict code of honor upon the family. So, all she had ever known was the way of the samurai. But it was the shinobi that interested her. She watched intently from a few feet away as a rather short, blonde kunoichi explained what chakra control was. To the girl's amazement, the woman had perfect form: the movements weren't so much graceful as they were fluid. And, like fluid, they could become gentle and calm or swift and angry at any moment. "Oi! You, under the tree! C'mere for a second!"

"Ano..." The girl pointed to herself and asked, "You mean me?" But, obediently, the raven-haired got up and walked over to the bosom blonde.

"All right, I want you to climb that tree. No hands."

The ebony-haired girl nodded and looked at the tree, considering how she could accomplish said task. Then, taking a deep breath, she rushed towards the thick trunk. 'Come on! I've gotta make this!'

She could hear the younger children shouting encouragement, ranging from "Go, Shizune-chan!" to "C'mon, sempai, you can do it!"

A cracking sound came from beneath her toes; she was stepping too hard into the trunk. To avoid injuring herself or the tree (as it did have medicinal purposes), Shizune leapt away and landed on her feet. "Do it again. But distribute your chakra- your energy- evenly this time." The woman's tone was calm, commanding; she was used to being obeyed. The onyx-eyed girl nodded once again before rising from her crouch. She closed her eyes and began to calm herself, concentrating on her energy. Finally, to help the process, she brought her hands together in the one hand sign she knew: hitsuji. Feeling herself balance at last, the girl burst forward. Up and up she went, focusing still upon the energy she had placed in her feet.

'The first shinobi who came- that I can remember anyway- he said the energy is called chakra...he said it was a powerful life energy. And you can mold it to do whatever you want...' A bittersweet thought passed through her mind. 'That's why Dan oji-kun and Kirika oba-chan left...so they could become ninja and protect all of us...' She finally caught sight of the highest branch and smiled to herself. "Almost there..." With one more burst of speed, Shizune caught hold of the limb and swung up. "Got it!"

From below, she could hear the sounds of distant cheers and cries of happiness. Then, she heard another command: "All right, now come back down!"

"Hai!" Came the simple and obedient reply. Shizune began to hop down, branch by branch, feeling rather proud of herself. But, the bark gave way on one of the branches and the raven-haired girl slipped forward. In a panic, she gave a quick command to her chakra and willed it to catch her. She caught herself, hanging upside down on a branch still halfway up the tree. And she found herself face to face with the blonde kunoichi. "G-gomen..."

"Gaki, be careful." Although the woman's voice was a bit sharp, it wasn't cold. There was concern in her tone and Shizune could hear it. A soft smile crossed the kunoichi's lips as she muttered, "C'mon. There's still a decent amount of distance between here and the ground. I'll carry you the rest of the way." Gathering the girl in her arms, the blonde started on the way down. 'Leave it to you, Tsunade...you just had to pick the one who has talent.'

"Ano...who are you?" Shizune asked curiously. The other shinobi who had visited never asked for someone to demonstrate. They waited for someone to stand up and attempt what they were lecturing about.

"Senju Tsunade of Konohagakure. I'm a jounin."

"Tsunade-sama...arigato!" The girl smiled brightly up at the jounin as they finally landed. Hopping out of Tsunade's arms, the girl chirped, "Ne, Tsunade-sama, when are you going back home?"

"Not for a couple days...I want to rest for a while before going back." A slightly sad look invaded the beautiful amber eyes and Shizune frowned a bit. The older woman blinked back her sadness and chimed, "Ano, gaki, don't fret. Just an old wound coming back to haunt me." The children promptly began to crowd the two, chattering excitedly. The younger girl slipped away wordlessly and disappeared down a road that led just outside of the small town. Tsunade's eyes followed curiously, wondering why the kid didn't stick around to enjoy the limelight a little.

Shizune sighed quietly as she continued home. 'Okaa-chan is probably wondering where I am...I said I would only be gone for a few minutes...'

"Shizune-chan! Where were you? Supper is almost ready," the tall woman lightly scolded. Her long, pitch black hair was pulled back in a high ponytail; her bangs flared softly over her forehead while she left several very long strands hanging in front of her ears. A quiet, calm aura surrounded her. She muttered, "There was another shinobi in town, giving a lecture, wasn't there?" Onyx eyes narrowed slightly.

The girl looked down, feeling a little ashamed. Her mother hated shinobi; she hated the way they supposedly "hid in the shadows for the right moment to stab someone in the back" and other such things. But, to be completely honest, the woman was even more deeply affected by her brother and sister's choice to become shinobi themselves. "Gomenasai, okaa-chan..."

"Shizune..." the raven-haired woman sighed, "You're too young to understand ninja. Too young to understand samurai. But you've grown up around my family's bushido your whole life. Samurai are straight-forward and honorable; not at all like those ninja who hide in darkness until they can strike their target from behind like a coward." Turning on her heel, the samurai said, "Come, Shizune-san. Supper should be done by now."

The raven-haired girl felt her heart lurch a little, realizing that her mother was closing herself off again. She rushed forward, kicking her sandals off as she bolted towards her mother's retreating form. "Gomenasai, okaa-chan..." Shizune wrapped her arms firmly around the tall woman's waist and began to cry silently. "I didn't mean to, okaa-chan...I was just curious. But you know me- you know that I'm better suited for our bushido..."

"My little samurai..." Pulling her daughter away for a split second, the samurai turned to draw the girl into a tight embrace. "Our bushido..."

"Love and protect with honor or let death come swiftly," the onyx-eyed girl recited. The two ebony-haired females smiled at one another and then walked towards the kitchen. As Shizune sat down while her mother doled out the food, she asked, "Okaa-chan?"

"Ne? What is it?"

"Do you...still have that book of herbs and poisons?" When her bowl was set on the table, the girl reached out and pulled it a little closer.

"Shi-chan, why would you want that old thing? Poisons don't really seem to be...your thing. They're something a **ninja** would use." As she said the word "ninja," Shizune could hear the disdain dripping from each syllable. It made her feel uncomfortable.

"Well...I'd like to learn some important remedies to poisons, since a lot of shinobi and samurai come through here. And they're always getting injured somehow. I could also learn how to make ointments that will help the healing process." Shizune smiled across the table at her mother, onyx eyes full of determination.

The older woman grinned back and conceded, "Very well. I'll find it for you tomorrow, all right?"

"Arigato, okaa-chan!" Enthusiastically, Shizune threw her arms around her mother's neck and kissed her cheek. She laughed, "I'm so excited!"

"Hai, hai...now then, eat. And then, it's off to bed with you! You have errands to run tomorrow morning!"

"Hai, okaa-chan!" The raven-haired girl ate her teriyaki chicken quickly, still savoring the taste. Then, she kissed her mother's cheek again, bid the woman good night and hurried off to the tiny bathroom. Discarding her obi and short kimono, Shizune looked at herself for a moment. For being eight-years-old, she was quite gangly and athletic looking. Her hair, the same length and glossy black as her mother's, was always pulled back in a bun. Her long, skinny frame was still slightly muscular; seeing as she did nothing but train with her sword and run errands for people all day, there was no avoiding the addition of muscle. But, nevertheless, she shrugged at the sight. She wasn't anything all that special. 'Hell, I'm not even average. I'm just plain. And it's not like anyone would ever notice me, really...' She sighed, shook her head, and pulled on a pair of light shorts and a tanktop; fashion wasn't her thing. Comfort was key. Walking back out to the only living space they had, Shizune curled up on her bedroll and closed her eyes. It had been an eventful day, to say the least.


End file.
